Thimbleknights
The Merry Brothers of Tom Thumb and of the Hill Without a Heart, commonly known as the Knights of the Thumb, the Order of Tom Thumb, or simply as Thimbleknights, are among the most preeminent orders of Giant killers and an important offshoot of the Tolltaker Knighthood. The organization gained attention with its introduction of the rank of Bard, a succesful propaganda campaign. Officially founded after the death of Tom Thumb (at the hands of the Jorōgumo the Whore Spider) by Thumblings he had met along his travels, the Order became a favoured method of dealing with troublesome giants, trolls, and ogres. The order experienced an increase in size and variety due to an influx of funds from various lords troubled by giants, most notably Puss-'n-Boots, who has a history of dealing with ogres himself in his younger days. Non-combatant members of the Order manage much of the infiltration, information gathering, and upkeep for the Thimbleknights. As a result of much of their clothing being manufactured by gnomes, it is common for Thimbleknights to wear similar red and pointed hats. There is no established uniform for the Order beyond a gold Acorn brooch. Individualism is highly encouraged which extends to clothing and even mounts. The most common mounts are generally mice, squirrells, and sparrows, but the rule of thumb is if you can convince it to let you ride it, it is your steed. Despite similar goals, the Order has a long history of animosity with quite possibly the most esteemed Giant killer of all, Jack. Nobody would deny his skill in giant killing, they are just of a mind that he is a pompous ass who often barges into where he's not wanted or needed. The Order's home is a rather large hill riddled with caverns. The hill was once a mighty giant who had almost gained immortality by hiding his heart well away. A young hero eventually found the heart and squeezed it in two, felling the giant who then turned to stone. The main meeting hall is situated in the cavity where the heart once resided. It would be a bad day for the order if the heart was ever found, restored, and placed back into its home. Motto: 'Ex Glande Quercus (''From Acorn to Oak) What is the measure of a man's stature? The tales told of him when he is gone. Does not David loom over Goliath in the hearts of men? And how does a man's tale begin? As an acorn, hinting of greater things to come. And how shall our tales end? As the mighty oak! Ranks There are three main divisions of the ranks of the Templars: The Thumbling knights, the non-Thumbling Sergeants, and the Bards. The '''Thumbling knights are generally equipped with two or more steeds, enabling quick travel over land or in the air. Squires are Thumblings in the process of being trained as a knight, or on their final examination presided over by a Bard and graded by the Order Council. Sergeants may be of any breed, Thumbling or non-Thumbling and quite often bring vital skills such as blacksmithing and building, and often preside over various properties of the Order across the globe. The numerous Sergeants are usually equipped with one steed, or none if they are incapable of riding. Many senior positions are reserved exclusively for Sergeants, including Admiral of the Order's naval fleet. The third class consists of the Bards, made up of Thumblings, Faeries, and Gnomes, care for the Order's spiritual needs and observe knights in action to later glorify their deeds and demean their foes. When a knight performs less than admirably, the tale is usually reserved for the Order Council's ears alone, for assessment. There are two additional divisions not bound by any oaths to the Order: Faerie Auxiliaries and Tross. Faerie auxiliaries, made up of faeries and often mounted on birds, serve as distractions and harrying tactics, but due to their flightiness are often unreliable. The Tross serve as camp followers bringing commerce, menial labor, and trades such as habadashers, tailors, smiths, beast-tamers, cobblers, shipbuilders, and servants. Tross are generally made up of Faeries, Gnomes, and Brownines. It is not uncommong for members of the Tross to be family members of an Order member. The Grand Maestro: Serves as head of the order and the council. Fingerling, or Pinkeltje in his language, has always been the Grand Maestro and is seemingly the oldest member of the order. Rumor has it that he is not a Thumbling at all, but of a separate breed of tiny people with their own land, much like the Lilliputians. Members Honorary or otherwise. These are the famous historical members, not an exhaustive list of all who are currently members. Jack the Giant killer is not associated with the Thimbleknights, in any way, shape, or form. Tom Thumb, posthumously, of England. Fingerling, the Grand Maestro of the Order, of Pinkeltjesland. Hop-o'-my-Thumb, human, of England. Issun-boshi, wielder of the Magic Hammer, of Japan. Served by Koro-pok-guru. Thumbikin of Norway. Pulgarcito of Spain. Pollicino of Italy. Lipunyushka of Russia. Palčić of Serbia. Patufet, the size of a grain of rice, of Catalonia. The Hazel-nut Child, who favors riding storks, of Bukovina. Kleinduimpje of the Netherlands. Hüvelyk Matyi of Hungary. Erkenek of Turkey. ''Cırtdan ''of Azerbaijan. Parmak Çocuk of Anatolia. Molly Whuppie, human, of Scotland. Puss-'n-Boots, cat, of France. Breeds of Tiny People An exhaustive list would be an endless list, but here is a small breakdown. First, why the distinction between Thumblings and non-Thumblings? What even is the distinction? Thumblings are explicitly born to human parents, generally with the help of some fae magic, making them mostly human, if tiny. Many breeds of tiny people inhabit the world, varying from the the height of a man's waist down to a grain of rice. These peoples, while possibly brave, generous, and perhaps even part of the Order in a fashion, lack the humanity of Thimbleknights and the history of conflict with giants. Perhaps it is fate, but every Thumbling has or will best a giant in their lifetime, something that is a requirement for knighthood. Koro-pok-guru: a very private people native to Japanese islands. How Issun-boshi garned the loyalty of the band that follows him is as mysterious as the people themselves. Borrowers: Taller than the average Thumbling, Borrowers usually live in human homes making do with human cast offs. Wild borrowers are rarer, largely due to large cats and dogs. Littles: Very similar to Borrowers but wtih obvious mouse characteristics. Homonculi: Quite rare artificial little people. The amount of humanity in any two given homonculi varies wildly, some being little more than golems, some being people who happen to be clay. Gnomes: Chthonic beings who live a very down to earth existence. Brownies: Extremely helpful, yet shy, creatures who do all sorts of mundane tasks from cobbling to cleaning. Faeries: Or Sprights, very variable creatures of whimsy. Highly potent with magic. Lilliputians and Blefuscans: Very civilized people, about six inches in height, who have been at war with each other quite a while over which end of the egg is the holy and righteous end to crack. Category:NPC Category:Hedge